Home Lust...

Every now and then I get a serious case of home lust... in this month's Home Beautiful August 2010  issue showcases this gorgeous Northern Suburbs home to Jo & Rohan + family is no an exception. The fusion style French /Hampton's - Australian iinspired home is both family & style rich... Take a look and I'm sure you'll agree with me - it makes the Palatial Living list and I'm sure it will make yours too! Enjoy x

images via [Australian] Home Beautiful August 2010 issue. Now out at newstands.

styling Lousie Owens & photography Sue Stubbs

Home Is Where The Heart Is...

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I'm home now with our precious baby girl, Isabelle, and I am sure glad to be out of hospital, in the surrounds & comfort of my own home [not to mention bigger laptop & interior mags]! It is truly amazing the emotional & physical pull that our homes have on us... the comfort of familiar smells, touch, and visual recognition can make all the difference to our sense of well being. It is with these ever so important sensory levels that by changing, updating, and styling our homes [living spaces] to a genuinely pleasing aesthetic that can make all the difference to how we function, and connect with who we live with...What are some of the things you have done to add to or make your house a more personal space - a home, your home?

Enjoy your Home, Love your Home! S x

Images from Australian Country Style May 2010 issue - 'Decorating - Pale & Pretty' pg 84

Shutters Away!

I have been researching window treatments lately and came across this great spread in the recent [Australian] Home Beautiful magazine March 2010 issue... I am favouring the plantation shutter [with a wide blade] in white, for style, privacy, and the all important 'easy-to-clean' factor; for some sliding doors I have at my home, in a couple of spots - our living room doors to the back yard, the balcony doors from our [master] bedroom, and enclosing the sides of our balcony with powder coated aluminum shutters for added privacy & weather. For space saving -the interior doors - I am leaning towards the sliding variety rather than the concertina fold back...& now just to save up! What do you think?

Images from Australian Home Beautiful March 2010 issue

An Urban Romantic Aesthetic Lives in Pony Rider...

I'm loving artist aware home ware brand Pony Rider - as profiled in Australian Vogue Living March/ April 2010 issue. You know you've done something well when Vogue Living comes to chat about your work & brand... Described as having an 'urban romantic aesthetic' and coined 'industrial vintage' the home ware brand created by Jacqui Lewis & Kelly Searl, their business currently creates and works out of a one room studio amongst the inspiring bush-scape of Sydney's Northern Beaches.

I particularly love their use of 'bird & botanic' inspired prints aptly named 'Flower bomb', their swimmingly fluid 'Ribbons' print & 'Numbers' in vintage style flag cushions. Their 'Numbers' cushion print reminds me of one of my favourite artists, Rosalie Gascoigne's [1917-1999] 'Sweet Lovers' 1990, with printed washed over bold text semiotics. Be sure to check out PonyRider's website on this link and their blog here. Enjoy xxx

[Image 1] Article on Pony Rider from Australian Vogue Living March/April 2010 issue - page 50.
[Image 2] Pony Rider's 'Flower Bomb' cushion

[Image 3] Pony Rider's 'Ribbons' cushion

[Image 4] Pony Rider's 'Numbers' cushion

[Image 5] Rosalie Gascoigne [1917-1999], Sweet Lovers 1990

Collection of Christopher Hodgesand Helen Eager, Sydney© Rosalie Gascoigne Estate,administered by VISCOPY,Australia

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About Pony Rider [from PonyRider.com.au] Pony Rider is about celebrating the beauty in the ordinary everyday things, biting into an overripe plum and in need of a soft tea towel, cracking the top of a creme brulee with a hand printed napkin in your lap, wrapping a pot of freshly brewed tea in a tea towel to stay warm, curling up on cushions on the lounge to read the weekend papers, using the 'good' linen for the everyday.

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With those words evoking all those wonderful senses, how can you not fall in love with wanting some of their pieces... I know I have! S x

Images from Vogue Living March /April 2010 & Pony Rider.com.au

Colour, Books & BookShelf Love...

[image 1] Betsy Morgan's colour blocked book stacks and objects make for beautiful vignettes within the shelf.

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[image 2] Australian Vogue Living March /April 2010 - book suggestions. Check out Amazon.com to add them to your wish list, or to buy!
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[image 3] Betsy Morgan's home office & living area - shows these white shelves are not only for storage but colourful display too!
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I love books, always have, but what else do I love that goes with books is housing & shelving books! Here - I love these White book shelves with painted [bitter mocha] wall colour behind, appears to frame the books and objects within the shelf. And the darker shade used makes for an illusion-ary depth. Taken from Betsey Morgan's family home in Chelsea New York - from Vogue Living March/ April 2010 issue, I especially love all books sorted and stacked by spine/ cover colour - I have all my books presented like this in my shelves at home - it helps to create a clean, organised & colour blocked presentation that is much easier on the eye to follow through the space...

Images from Australian Vogue Living March/ April 2010 issue.

Happy Friday... Friday Flowers are a-bloom!

Happy Friday & Welcome Weekend!

I just love the Australian Country Style March 2010 cover with it's vivacious full bright blooms... so deliciously gorgeous it has to make it for Palatial Living's Friday Flowers to share with you!

Also featured here is a fabulous article, from Australian Country Style March issue , on Wildflower Farmer, Craig Scott - who turned his passion of Australian Native Wildflowers into literally a bloomin' successful business... whom he also shares with his father & business partner, Colin - they formed East Coast Wildflowers. Located west of Gosford on Sydney's Central Coast Craig's wildflower farm is also home to his wife, Angie and teenage daughters - Bethany, Miranda, Eden and Cassia, and a Golden Retriever. You can purchase Craig's beautiful wild blooms at Sydney's Flower Markets - at Flemington Markets (Inner West Sydney)... you will be in good company when you have you're on huge bunch of East Coast Wildflowers - some of his clients include Sydney's major florist - Grandiflora, and displayed at the 2007 Apec Summit in the Opera House [Sydney] as well as last year's Christmas event at NSW Government House.

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With my upcoming baby shower I think I may just have to high-tail it in the wee hours of the morning to the markets to try & catch Craig and his team for some spectacular 'bush baby' blooms!

Hope you have wonderful weekend - thank you for all your wonderful comments & emails this week! Take care, Sarah xxx

Be sure to grab you're copy of Australian Country Style in newsagents, and selected supermarkets.

Images from Australian Country Style - March 2010 issue.

Happy Weekend!

Yay - it's Friday!! Hope you have a fun weekend ahead...

We're off to our 'annual' Twilight at Taronga Zoo 2010 concert series this weekend to see 'Neil Diamond' [aka Peter Byrne with the Sydney International Orchestra] cover, with some very dear friends of ours, and out goddaughter... There will be both shameless out-of-tune singing to 'all the favourite songs from 'Hot August Night'; 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' and the 'Jazz Singer' - like our faves 'Sweet Caroline & 'Crunchy Granola Suite', not to mention some serious toe tapping with a wonderful little 3 year old Darling girl, Siena! If you in Sydney living or visiting - there are still tickets for other concerts - visit this link - to see what might take your fancy, and be sure to take a picnic blanket & some nibbles....

Thanks again for dropping by Palatial Living this week - here's to your fabulous weekend! Sarah x

Image from SMH.

House Love... From H&B March '10

This week I received my Home Beautiful March 2010 issue in the post [Yay! I love my subscriptions] and to say that this issue has 'hit it on the head' in my personal colour & style stakes is something... Home Beautiful features this home, that I have shared with here [above images] and several others that take my breath away. This particular home featured her is located in Melbourne suburbs, Victoria, & lived in by owners Craig & Chrissie and their 5 sons!They are not grand in scale or uber-trendy - they are simply stylishly real, fresh & contemporary - certainly somewhere you can envision yourself... well I can! Not to mention H&B's cover - loving that Blue & White combination again - some of these throw cushions look like mine!!

Make sure you grab you're Home Beautiful March 2010 issue to have great read over a cup of tea or a cool drink! Enjoy x

Images from Home Beautiful [Australia] magazine issue March 2010.

Event: Lighting Installation for Chinese New Year...

Thought I would share a fabulous Event: Lighting Installation at the forecourt of Sydney's Customs House, that is currently on in the wake of the Chinese New Year Celebrations for 2010/11 - Year of the Tiger.

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In a wonderful fusion of ancient Asian art forms and modern sensibilities, two massive origami lanterns in the form of tigers, will help Sydney citizens and visitors celebrate the Lunar or Chinese New Year. February 14 will mark the start of the Year of the Tiger, but the two crouching giants will remain at Customs House from February 11 to March 14, 2010.

The lanterns are 2.5 meters high and more than 7 meters long and they are lit by low-energy LED lights. As is fitting in soccer-mad Australia, the felines are not just idly posing, they are playing soccer in celebration of the FIFA soccer world cup. The tigers, commissioned by Customs House to raise awareness about the endangered status of tigers, were designed by Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) with offices in Sydney and Stuttgart, Germany.

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So if you're in Sydney, living or just visiting through this celebration time be sure to take a look at these wonderful 'Tiger' lanterns from dusk... Enjoy x

Images & Event Alert from Cool Hunter

2010 Year of the Tiger... Happy Chinese New Year! Gung hay fat choy !!

[Images 1 & 2] From Betsey Johnson Studio

[image 3] From Stillwater Art Studio

To all my friends & colleagues who celebrate Chinese New Year... Wishing you a very Happy New Year, for Sunday 14th February! Gung hay fat choy !!

The Year of the [Metal] Tiger from 14 February 2010 - 2 February 2011. The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle, each of the years being named after an animal. The Chinese believe that people born in a particular year take on the characteristics of the animal associated with that year.

Tigers are generally - Sensitive, emotional and adventurous. Confident, risk takers and dislike taking orders. Good at seeing problems, but less able to see the solutions. Often seek a shoulder to cry on when feeling down. Warm and generous to the people they love. When opportunity knocks, Metal Tigers open the door. With characteristic Olympian zeal, they seize every chance to better themselves, with a competitive streak that lets nothing or no one get in their way. As aggressive as they are, though, they never trample upon the feelings of others. Always considerate, they are admired and well-liked for their sense of justice and forgiving spirit. They never waste energy holding grudges. Metal Tigers always have the unwavering support of their friends, colleagues, and family. Their industrious work habits usually lead them down a velvety smooth career path and Metal Tigers almost always know the beauty of having achieved great financial success. Because Metal Tigers have so much fire within themselves, they can also warm the hearts of loved ones, which they do with tender passion and compassion.

Hmmm - lots to think about, especially since my baby [due in May] might just have some, or all, of these tendencies since he or she falls under this Chinese Zodiac!

Images from Etsy - Betsey Thompson Studio & Stillwater Art Studio

Living Stones...and other surprising pieces.

[Above]Stephanie Marin's - Samrin Design - 'Living Stones'& 'MobileSahdows'
[Above] Living Stones - surprisingly soft, light, warm & comfortable!
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[Above] Living Stones - Outdoor 1

[Above] Living Stones - Outdoor 2
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[Above] 'Living Stones' with 'Living Islands'

[Above] Coloured 'Living Stones'
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[Above] Lit'RainDrops '& 'MobileShadows'

[Above] 'RainDrops' & 'MobileShadows'
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[Above] 'RainDrops'

[Above] 'MobileShadows'

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I've lucky enough to be trailing through some new WGSN reports, for Interiors 2010/11 forecasts, and came across these amazing 'stone cushions' from talented French designer, Stephanie Marin, her design company 'Smarin Design' Living Stones. I love the oxymoron that these words 'Living Stones' and what this product presents - not only does it look like a stone - but your senses are then wonderfully tricked - you also think it must be hard, cold, heavy and uncomfortable - but as a visual illusion and visual textural created - [with the materials employed] they are in fact incredibly soft, warm handle, light weight and super comfortable! Surprise! These cushions designed by Stéphanie Marin of Smarin Design, have a primitive and yet very modern feel. The unexpected use of material and subject matter creates a unique functional, yet reassuringly warm product.

Smarin's other [products] pieces are no less surprising or illusion-ary [challenging] - with their 'Rain Drops' seating that also appear as beautiful sculptural pieces, and their 'MobileShadow' lighting that seems to drift through the air above despite it's size and occupation of the space around and above you...

What superbly wonderful pieces for installation in commerical spaces - hotel foyers, poolside retreats & spas, contemporary restaurants, and residential gallery inspired living spaces. Not to mention many more - I suppose you could say placement of these pieces - your imagination is your limitation! Enjoy.

Fro more info on Samrin Design visit this Link. Images from Living Stones .